Locating journal articles starts with finding the appropriate site and keywords to use. Fix et al. (2018) can be found on Google Scholar by searching for the proper keywords. The terms that were used to search the journal article were “patient-centered care,” “USA,” and “conceptualize.” Research on patient-centered care has become standard in health services, and many healthcare systems are actively pursuing this approach. Despite the importance of patient-centered care, little is documented about how healthcare workers understand the notion.
The study’s primary aim was to investigate the meaning of patient-centered care among hospital staff. In the first four months of 2013, the researchers used a qualitative interview-based study approach to learn more about patient-centered care (Fix et al., 2018). The study drew on interviews with 107 healthcare workers from around the United States (Fix et al., 2018). It included executives, management staff, top-level providers, and personnel at four medical sites in the USA. Participants were invited to participate in the site visit through email, with the trip’s aim explained. During the site tour, interviews were conducted with everybody who showed interest. Grounded thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and the results were linked to previously recognized patient-centered care constructs.
It is not easy for healthcare systems to shift to patient-centered care. While “patient-centered care” (PCC) is becoming more commonplace in the healthcare industry, researchers have shown that staff members’ conceptions of PCC are not always in line with those stated in the literature (Fix et al., 2018). Also, many workers’ conceptions of PCC went beyond the patient-provider duo and into the organization. In their interviews, researchers found that policymakers and frontline clinicians were considering PCC’s systemic effects. The participants expanded conventional definitions of PCC and saw it as a cultural transformation ingrained in care practices and organizational effort. Though not reflected in the existing PCC research, participants’ focus on how patients’ physical environments might help them feel at ease is in line with the growing organizational priorities. Some respondents used generalized phrases when discussing PCC, suggesting it included everything. Some respondents said that PCC just came naturally to their fields of study. Participants compared PCC to high standards of service, which the researchers confirmed.
The researchers concluded that patient-centered care ideas have spread across healthcare institutions. The study’s authors also determined that patient-centered care has been extended to include an overall cultural change in how healthcare is provided, starting with patients’ first impressions of the institution (Fix et al., 2018). Some healthcare workers, especially those in leadership roles, regard patient-centered care as so all-encompassing that it includes ongoing hospital efforts. In contrast, others view it as an essential part of their profession. The findings are significant in nursing as they can help better understand the true meaning of PCC. The results can be incorporated into nursing practice by ensuring that nurses do more reading on the topic to understand its relevance in healthcare practice. Evidence-based practice is crucial in the actualization of PCC in the healthcare system (Engle et al., 2019). Nurses who read more about PCC will get a deeper understanding of the topic and be better able to use the knowledge they gain in the course.
In conclusion, research has demonstrated that although PCC is becoming increasingly widespread in the healthcare business, staff members’ perceptions are not necessarily consistent with those mentioned in the literature. The concept of PCC has expanded to include all aspects of the healthcare delivery process, beginning with the initial point of contact between a patient and an organization. Because of their potential to provide light on the meaning of PCC, the results have important nursing implications.
References
Engle, R. L., Mohr, D. C., Holmes, S. K., Seibert, M. N., Afable, M., Leyson, J., & Meterko, M. (2019). Evidence-based practice and patient-centered care: Doing both well. Health Care Management Review, 46(3). Web.
Fix, G. M., VanDeusen Lukas, C., Bolton, R. E., Hill, J. N., Mueller, N., LaVela, S. L., & Bokhour, B. G. (2018). Patient-centred care is a way of doing things: How healthcare employees conceptualize patient-centred care. Health Expectations : An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy, 21(1), 300–307. Web.